August 28; PILDAT has welcomed the constitution
of a Foreign Relations Committee (FRC) in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP),
terming it as a much-needed right step towards strengthening of public policy
think tanks in the party.

As a think tank working to strengthen democracy
and democratic institutions, PILDAT has always advocated that political parties
must strive to develop internal think tanks to systematically develop party
positions and policies on important national issues. In March this year, PILDAT
designed and delivered specific one-day courses for each of the three largest
political parties of Pakistan, including the PPP,
with the aim of underscoring the importance of strengthening their capacity
to internally analyse, deliberate and formulate public policies in an effective
and democratic manner.

PPP had earlier adopted PILDAT Course Recommendation
on Party Think Tanks at a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) held
in Naudero, Sindh in April 2017.[Source:
Dunya News] A coordination committee was established to formulate party's
election manifesto for 2018. Senator Sherry Rehman and Senator Farhatullah Babar
were named coordination committee members by the party head.

PILDAT believes that one of the most important
functions of any political party is its internal capacity of policy-making,
which it is able to do by gathering public opinion and devising ways to resolve
issues faced by the country. While PILDAT greatly appreciates PPP's timely initiatives
on some of the most crucial matters, it is hoped that through these internal
party units, the party will be able to broaden its base of policy discourse
and be able to effectively use these forums to ensure democratic dialogue and
inclusivity in policy formulation.

PILDAT also hopes that Pakistan's other political
parties also develop and strengthen their capabilities in order to be able to
produce evidence-based policies and create mechanisms for inclusive and democratic
decision-making.